Oklahoma stunning Alabama at half in Sugar Bowl, 31-17

Posted by Kevin McGuire on January 2, 2014, 10:16 PM EST

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Oklahoma certainly does not look like a double-digit underdog in the Sugar Bowl. The Sooners have more than held their own against Alabama in New Orleans tonight and reach the midway point leading the Crimson Tide, 31-17. You read that score correctly. Oklahoma is leading Alabama, a 15-point favorite, by 14 at the half. Considering Alabama has allowed 31 points in a game just five times since 2008, that is rather significant.

Alabama did open up the scoring early in the first quarter with a four-play drive covering 75 yards and ending with a TJ Yeldon touchdown run just under two minutes in to the game, but Oklahoma closed the half with a 24-10 run.

Oklahoma quarterback Trevor Knight threw three touchdowns in the first half to lead the Sooner charge. The first was to Lacoltan Bester for a 45-yard score to tie the game. Just minutes later the Tide re-gained the lead with a field goal, but Knight struck again with another touchdown pass inside the 10-yard line, this time to Jalen Saunders. Knight and Saunders hooked up again on a deep ball down the right sideline to give Oklahoma their first lead of the game, late in the half. The play was set up by a red zone turnover by Alabama, a Yeldon fumble as Alabama was knocking on the door step for another score.

A late interception tossed by AJ McCarron gave the Sooners time for one more score, and they acted quickly on it. Sterling Shepard took a misdirection wrap around down the right side of the field for a 13-yard touchdown run on the very next play.

Still plenty of football to be played of course, and if any team can manage to make some adjustments, you would think it will be Alabama, but now all of a sudden the tables have been turned. A game that was supposed to be one that saw Oklahoma struggle to keep up now sees Alabama looking to find a way to slow down the Sooners.

Never saw this coming. OU was tied as the biggest underdog in BCS bowl history coming into tonight’s game. Really impressed w/ Heupel’s offensive gameplan. The OU D has been impressive, too. Still a lot of football to be played…

Bama needs to run the fricking ball and wear down the Sooners. Forget the three and four receiver sets.
Bama beat A&M earlier this year by long time consuming drive resulting in TD’s by running the ball
down their throats.

This was supposed to be the “come back to earth” year for the SEC perception, but Ohio State couldn’t hold their end of the bargain. Still wish MSU hadn’t lost on a controversial call to ND.

Bama is a really good team, but they are not unbeatable. Neither is FSU. FSU could stumble very easily, but FSU is certainly of the most dominate teams in awhile. Just in how badly they beat everyone.

The SEC’s bowl season is more true to what they are. best conference, but beatable. Nebraska took down Georgia, LSU had a fight from Iowa, and A&M nearly lost to Duke.

Exciting games.

gamustangdude says:Jan 2, 2014 10:42 PM

Bama is being exposed? Only to people who hate Alabama. If that were the case then this is the real OU team, and OU has been doing this all year, which they haven’t. So lets just leave this as what it really is, OU is playing an exceptional half and Alabama isn’t. Nothing else is going on here.

…with ‘bama ‘MISSING a measly 27 yard FG’ as time ran-out (no surprise there…remembering the Iron Bowl massacre most fondly)! The tide looks just a bit ‘confused’ (not at all like the ‘potential title contender’ they still claim to be). “I hope the deer-piss wears-off quickly, fellas (as the short-term side-effects appear to be most devastating…especially when mixed with your moonshine).” Let’s hope the 2nd half is a little more challenging for Oklahoma (as the tide is starting to look ‘a lot’ like last year’s Notre Dame), or ESPN’s ratings will go down.

Trevor is playing his ass off – seriously from 1st and 30 to a TD – wow

babyfarkmcgeezax says:Jan 2, 2014 11:52 PM

SEC EXPOSED YET AGAIN! OVERRATED AS ALWAYS! Maybe for once SEC fans will realize that having one team win the national title doesn’t automatically make your entire conference the best, no matter how much ESPN talking heads try to drill that into everyone’s brains so they get good ratings.

Don’t be surprised if Crimson Joke fans pull out their usual “our team didn’t want to be here so even though we lost we’re still better” excuses like they did when Utah stomped their overrated SEC asses a few years ago. Where are those mythical invincible SEC defenses? Oh that’s right, they’re not tested by anyone respectable outside of the conference all season until the bowl games. Duke, of all teams, cut through SEC defense like butter and the Sooners are doing the same. Roll Tide… into Overrated Hell!!!

bigugly2005 says:Jan 2, 2014 11:55 PM

As much as I HATE Alabama, that Henry kid is frickin’ incredible. Just a beast! Reminds me of AD.

I guess what former big 12 scrubs A&M and Mizzou did to the vaunted SEC defenses wasnt a fluke afterall….the Oklahoma Sooners, who got housed by Texas and Baylor this year, just took the vaunted Alabama Crimson Tide behind the woodshed and beat you SEC boys down..

wow..look at that…they even recover the swib quick..
congrats to Oklahoma and the Big 12 for that bigtime victory tonight.

dkhhuey says:Jan 3, 2014 12:26 AM

Wow – another great game where both teams were playing hard! Congrats to Boomer Sooner – that was a tough game to come out with a win.

STUNNER!!! OKLAHOMA WAS A TWO TOUCHDOWN UNDERDOG, AND THEY ‘WIN’ BY ‘TWO TOUCHDOWNS!!! MY, MY, MY, HOW THE MIGHTY HAS FALLEN!!! A MAJOR THUMP HEARD ROUND THE WORLD!!! SWAMP MEAT!!!
TIGER SNACK!!! SOONER STEW!!!

Congratulations to the Oklahoma Sooners on their victory! You wanted it more, you were better prepared, and you were better coached.

But as far as all the haters claiming “SEC was exposed!”: You do realize that the SEC is still 5-2 in the bowl season with two more games to go, including the BCSNCG? Only two conferences can say they have a team playing Monday night…and that other one is 3-6 this postseason. The only thing “exposed” on here tonight is your ignorance.

hey Amos, Deb, and all the other sec homers who have rode Alabama’s coat tails that last four years…

comeon man

powercorrupts2 says:Jan 3, 2014 1:01 AM

Yo, Deb! Where are ya? Did ya have a nervous breakdown or something? You’re lucky they didn’t lose by 3 touchdowns. The Sooners still had enough time on the clock to run in another one but showed them some mercy.